You’re here because you have the audacity…
Read this.
Before you read any further, I have it too. The Audacity, I mean. It's one of those traits that startups love, but I've seen turn into a double-edged sword:
It pushes you to work quickly, but it also pushes you to work hastily.
It makes you think you can chase big things, and makes you bite off more than you can chew.
It gives you the motivation to start things, and too many things to give your attention to.
It encourages you to wear tons of hats, but it also encourages you to spread yourself thin.
It convinces you that you can function successfully alone, and that you don't need feedback or support.
While these traits are powerful for scrappy operation, they often get in the way of scale. By-the-skin-of-your-teeth marketing wasn't meant for 20-person teams.
That's not necessarily your fault. You don't have 20-person teams. You’re just trying to keep things afloat, and there aren't many things you can drop.
More often than not, marketing puts the business on their shoulders. But, audacity-lovers, that never meant we had to do everything ourselves. Or everything at all.
You need someone to keep the pace & build the space you need to do things intentionally.
In the meantime, let me share what’s helped me maximize my audacious tendencies without letting them get in the way of the growth and maturation of the business in question:
If you’re here, that probably means you’re thinking about changing up your processes, doing something new, or adding someone to your team.
Figuring out what the right decision is starts with being honest about what’s really going on internally.
4 questions About your process.
Businesses that Need narrative…
Businesses that lack strategy…
Businesses that can’t execute…
Could be mistaken for anyone else in their market.
Have something to sell but nothing to say.
Rely heavily on a founder for their personality and online presence.
Find their branding to be completely lackluster, but don’t know why.
Create inconsistent content, or are scared to make content at all.
Can’t convert their marketing goals into action items.
Are constantly worried about doing “the wrong things.”
Struggle to prove ROI for their efforts.
Fail to get stakeholders on board with initiatives and campaigns.
Complete tasks without connecting them to their narrative.
Feel limited by the resources they do have.
Reassure themselves that things will get better soon.
Have all the best intentions, but need to revisit internal processes.
Don’t leverage cross-functional support.
Wish someone would take a task or two off of their plate.
Leveraging Latency.
Marketing speaks things into existence. Usually that means proposing ideas that other teams haven’t even considered yet. Initial pushback because of ingrained norms or lack of expertise is normal, but shouldn’t keep you from pushing the brand forward.
That’s the thing about being cutting-edge, it may take people a bit of time to get on board. Here’s what to do in the meantime:
Invest in teasers.
If you can immerse your colleagues in the feeling of your idea, your idea will translate and resonate. Build momentum and buy-in early on with a simple slide deck, example copy, or wireframing. Get their gut feelings & make it feel like you’re letting them in on a secret.
don’t play defense.
We get it, you think your idea is the best idea on the planet. Well, even if it is, you won’t get to do anything with it until other people agree with you. Let others challenge your thinking and add to the idea.
Engage in their work.
Your colleagues aren’t marketers. They need to know that you’re keeping their best interests in mind. Set aside some time to do what they do: Watch them sell, talk to clients, and review products. Ask them what worries them & address it.
be vocal about edits.
You might think that presenting a perfectly polished proposal makes you look credible, but it also makes you look rigid and siloed. Instead, introduce your ideas early and let stakeholders in on your process.
gOOD Marketers don’t bite.
… off more than they can chew.